Entrust Doctoral Candidates

Nur Arifin Akbar

Università degli Studi di Palermo
Nur Arifin Akbar is a visionary leader and accomplished Manager in the banking industry, specializing in Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence. With a passion for driving innovation, Nur has transformed teams and organizations throughout his career, making him a powerful force in finance and technology.

As a Doctoral Researcher in Data Management at the prestigious EnTrust Doctoral Network, Nur is advancing the state of the art in sharing data in a fair, transparent, and trusted environment. His extensive knowledge of cutting-edge blockchain and AI technologies is evidenced by his numerous publications in ISI and Scopus indexed journals, where he also serves as a sought-after reviewer.
Nur’s impressive track record includes founding Idenitive Mashable Prototyping, an AI-based company that achieved significant revenue within the first six months, and co-founding Fuelverse, a global waste and energy solutions provider recognized as a Top 10 Shell Livewire Energy Solution. His leadership and technical expertise have earned him accolades such as the Youth Economic Leadership Program award.

With a unique blend of business acumen, technical prowess, and a commitment to excellence, Nur challenges himself by participating in hackathons and international competitions, where he has been recognized for his winning performances. He holds a Master’s degree in Informatics from Universitas AMIKOM Yogyakarta, where he graduated with a perfect 4.0/4.0 GPA, and a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering with Honors from Diponegoro University.

When not pushing the boundaries of blockchain and AI, Nur enjoys exploring new technologies and staying active in the tech community. His passion for innovation and problem-solving makes him an invaluable asset to any organization looking to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving world of finance and technology.

Clare O’Sullivan

Agricultural University of Athens

Clare Sullivan is a Soil Scientist and Agronomist who received her M.Sc. in Soil Science from the University of Saskatchewan and her B.Sc. in Global Resource Systems from the University of British Columbia, Canada. She worked for Oregon State University (USA) as an Extension Agronomist from 2014 – 2022, where she conducted research and education projects with farmers.

Clare joined the EnTrust MSCA Doctoral Network in November 2023 and is pursuing her PhD at the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece. Her PhD is focused on identifying the most prominent drivers of agri-data sharing that can feasibly overcome the barriers of sharing data across the agri-value chain.

Fjolla Berisha

Maynooth University

Fjolla Berisha is a dedicated and results-oriented professional with a robust background in web development, software administration, and teaching, currently advancing her PhD in Computer Science at Maynooth University, Ireland on the topic: “Data Sovereignty and Rights Sharing Framework”. She has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer engineering awarded from the University of Prishtina, Kosovo.

Her journey in the tech industry began as a Technical Support Specialist, where she honed her skills in providing top-notch technical assistance and managing complex IT systems. Fjolla then transitioned to a Web Administrator role at the University “Isa Boletini” in Kosovo. In addition to her full-time roles, Fjolla has contributed significantly as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Prishtina and an Application Support Analyst at Eminence Talent Group, Canada. Her diverse experience includes managing enterprise-level applications, optimizing system performance to achieve a 99.9% uptime rate, and reducing downtime by 75% through proactive maintenance.

Fjolla’s technical expertise is complemented by her strong research and analytical skills. She is proficient in programming languages and technologies such as Python, Java, WordPress, PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, React, and SEO, as well as application and technical support tools including Zendesk, Zoho, CRM, and TeamViewer. Her commitment to continuous learning and improvement is evident in her pursuit of advanced degrees in computer engineering and computer science.

A notable achievement in her academic career is authoring the paper titled “Addressing Cold Start in Recommender Systems with Neural Networks: A Literature Survey,” showcasing her ability to conduct in-depth research and contribute valuable insights to the field of computer science.
Fluent in English, Albanian, and with a fair proficiency in Spanish, Fjolla thrives in multicultural environments and is known for her analytical approach and adaptability. She is adept at navigating both solo projects and collaborative team efforts, always aiming to further organizational goals while enriching her innovative research pursuits.

Leidiane Gorete Da Silva

Airfield Estate

Received the B.Sc. degree in business administration from the Universidade Paulista (UNIP), Brazil, and the M.Sc. degree in business analytics from the National University Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM), in 2023. She is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree in business with the National University Ireland, Maynooth.

She is a part of the EnTrust Ph.D program and works in the education and research office at Airfield Estate. Her work and interests include data quality and trustworthiness assessment, machine learning techniques, agri-data and business analytics.

Erica Tegolo

Teagasc

Erica Tegolo has a Bachelor in Administration and Organisation Science and Labor Consultancy from the University of Palermo. She has received an MBA degree from IAE, University of Bordeaux. She’s currently pursuing a Ph.D. degree at the School of Business, in Maynooth University. The Ph.D. is part of the EnTrust Doctoral Network, Marie Skłodowska-Curie fellowship, which aim is to train a cohort of 11 Doctoral Candidates (DCs) to establish a new generation of Data Executives.

She is representing DC09 and the objective is represented by the development of a FAIR Agri-data share principles and framework. The host organisation is Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Authority in Ireland and she is currently based at the department of Rural Economy and Development Program (REDP).

Samin Ghalandarzadeh

Södra

Samin Ghalandarzadeh is an industrial PhD candidate at the intersection of academia and industry, currently employed at Södra Forestry Association while pursuing her doctoral studies at Linnaeus University. As a graduate in both Information Technology Engineering and Management, equipped with a diverse set of interdisciplinary skills, her expertise spans across electronic commerce, social media analysis, business management, and data analytics fields. With over five years of experience in international academic and industrial domains, she is strategically positioned within one of Sweden’s pivotal industries, dedicated to advancing research. Her role at Södra offers her a unique vantage point to study and contribute to the dynamic business ecosystems of the forestry sector. Currently delving into community-based business models within agricultural and forestry data ecosystems, her research aims to facilitate value creation for an extensive value chain that encompasses several stakeholders, spanning vast forested regions, innovating the current business landscape, and connecting individuals and communities to leverage the power of data for potential value generation and maximisation. She seeks to enhance the benefit for Sweden’s family and member-owned forestry community, thereby identifying new business arenas and revenue streams within the interconnected data-driven forestry ecosystems. As the tenth doctoral student within the EnTrust project, she is one of two candidates focusing primarily on the datafication of forestry business sectors. Her current scholarly activities encompass conducting a systematic literature review pertinent to her field of study, while also contributing to collaborative academic publications and the deliverables of EnTrust’s work packages. This comprehensive approach not only enriches her research but also fortifies the collective knowledge base of the project, leading to the possibility of joint collaborations and scholarly endeavours aimed at advancing the state of the art in data sharing in fair, transparent, and trusted environments, ensuring increased value for all participants.

Shahin Rezvanian

University of St.Gallen

BSc in Industrial Engineering from Sharif University
MSc in Industrial Engineering from Tehran Polytechnic
PhD in Business Innovation at the MCM Institute of the University of St. Gallen
Currently, I am working on data-driven business models for ecosystems of farmers, and analyzing data in digital communication.

Rahool Dembani

AgriDunya Technologies

Rahool Dembani, hailing from Pakistan, is a data scientist and entrepreneur. With over 8 years of expertise in software development, he co-founded AgriDunya Technologies and is currently a doctoral researcher at the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Network (Entrust). Rahool is tackling the challenge of weak data verification and provenance in agriculture, developing a privacy-preserving technology to address this issue. His research leverages MLOps, a set of engineering practices that ensure reliable and efficient deployment of machine learning models.